Darby

by Jonathon Scott Fuqua

Book Overview

"Darby's first-person narrative is frank and immediate . . . expressing what it's like for an ordinary white kid who suddenly discovers evil -- and courage -- where she lives." -- Booklist

Darby Carmichael thinks her best friend is probably the smartest person she knows, even though, as Mama says, Evette's school uses worn-out books and crumbly chalk. Whenever they can, Darby and Evette shoot off into the woods beyond the farm...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0763622907
• ISBN13: 9780763622909
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Candlewick Press (MA)
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.62 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 10 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 5 and higher

Customer Reviews

Darby for president

I know Darby would not be alive anymore probably. The book is from the 1920s, but I wish she was. I learned more about racism from her than I ever have in my life in Cedar Rapids. I also learned a lot about history. The cool thing about Darby was that she was brave and didn't know it. That seems real to me about being brave and not knowing it. It made me think about the way we treat people and how we need to concentrate on their personalities and not their skin, or accents. The other cool thing was DArby being so funny and real and playing with Evette, her black friend who was really smart. They were funny a lot. Darby did the most funny things and liked funny things. it Was all different. The best part was I never knew what the KKK was until I read the story. I heard people talk about it but didn't know. I don't know what I thought. I especially liked the pictures of the past that are in your head and you can't ever see anymore in pictures that aren't black and white, like the sunday drives and the uncle and the walking mosquito hawks. That's hard to believe but really cool. I'm saying to everyone Darby for president. I'll say if for a long time. I really love dthe book.

Darby

Darby is a great book!! It's well written and very interesting. I think Darby was an inspiring little girl. The book happens at a time in history when people weren't treating african-americans fairly. She helped her town overcome what they were doing to the african-american people in their town. A great book and you should read it.

Best Author

I am eleven years old and now think that Mr. Fuqua is the best author I have ever read. Darby is such a funny and serious book that it seems impossible to put the two things together that way. I loved Darby and all the neat things about the past, and I also loved how brave she was with her friends. It is the best book that I can recommend. I loved it!

I loved this book and the main character and others

Darby is my very favorite book I've ever read. The main character Darby is so cool and real, and the stories she tells about her time growing up in the 1920s with a black best friend are perfect. It was entertaing, pretty, and funny a lot. It even got exciting. She's brave and doesn't try to be, which is the best thing. I've never read a book so fast and enjoyed a story so much for just the way it feels and sounds and kind of goes. I wish all of the characters were around here for me to meet, and I wish I could see Bennettsville where she lives. I try to imagine it a lot now. I try to picture her and back to when she was a girl, and it's so different, like how her twelve year old brother can drive and black and white kids aren't supposed to be friends but they are anyway, even though a lot of adults don't like it. I think it's the best book I'll ever read, with the best type of story and the best way to learn about the past.

A wonderful story for everyone

Darby took my breath away. It truly did. I teach middle school and intend to put it on my reading list for next year. Without a doubt, kids will love the spirit and courage demonstrated by the title character. A nine-year-old girl growing up in 1926, South Carolina, Darby (amongst simply living and breathing in the perfectly described time period), for the first time in her short life, becomes aware of the racial inequalities and decides to address them in an article she and one of her best friends writes for the local paper. After that, the troubles begin. I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone, but I will say that it is a gripping, exciting story set off by lovely writing and a huge dose of goodwill and humor. Darby will surely become a classic in classrooms and libraries. Two of my students already read the book (one in a day), and they absolutely raved about it. It's good to have strong female characters in realistic rolls, but it's even better when a whole family shows bravery despite the very real possibility that they will end up as social outcasts. (How often do similar fears grip the occupants of our schools?) An exquisite story for all readers, I highly recommend Darby to educators, students, and even adults. :>)